Speak pipe

27.2.11

What is the world’s most popular meat ?

I’ll bet a lot of you guessed chicken or pork. Some of you probably thought beef. Surprise! In the United States, people tend to consume chicken as their white meat of choice and beef as their red meat, but 63 percent of the world's population eats goat meat. Goat is the most widely consumed meat in the world, a staple of, among others, Mexican, Indian, Asian,Arab,Greek and southern Italian cuisines. Interestingly, more and more goat meat is being consumed in the United States and not just as an ethnic dish due to the growing ethnic population. The health-conscious consumer is also looking at the benefits of incorporating either cabrito (a delicacy meat from goats that are harvested between 1 to 3 months of age and weigh less than 50 pounds) or chevon (goats that are harvested between 6 to 9 months of age and weigh between 50 and 75 pounds). Novelty and great flavor aren’t the only draws here — the meat is lower in fat than chicken but higher in protein than beef.Older goat meat is also consumed but usually as sausage or in chili. Two things quickly became clear once I started cooking. First, because it’s so lean, goat is particularly good when braised or cooked with moist heat so it won’t dry out